In 2011, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed toxic chemicals were in the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove’s groundwater and eventually in the drinking water supply for the base and surrounding neighborhoods. 

Those chemicals – per and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are commonly known as “forever chemicals” because they take a long time to break down.

According to the EPA, PFAS chemicals have been “linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.”

The U.S. Department of Defense has been addressing the base’s issues since 2014 and remains committed to its responsibilities, writes Lucy Bustamante for NBC 10 Philadelphia.

Joe McGrath, an Air Force veteran who served on the base for 34 years, has since developed symptoms of eczema and wonders if it has anything to do with the water he used while there.

Despite doing to six different dermatologists, nothing has been conclusive.

McGrath enrolled in a CDC study where researchers are analyzing which diseases correlate to PFAS levels in a person’s blood. His 384 nanograms per milliliter puts his way above the 20 nanograms that the National Institute of Health determines places a person at increased risk of adverse effects.

“I want an answer,” said McGrath.

Read more about efforts to determine the correlation between PFAS and disease in NBC 10 Philadelphia.

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